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- ash t-sh twzf T. GoRDoN. Ges Ge Steam Heater.

Paiented Jul)I 27, 1858.

ElTr-XT THOS. GORDON, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO CHAS. H. BULLARD, OF SAME PLAGE.

STEAM HEATING APPABJATUS.

Specficatonof Letters Patent No. 21,047, dated July 27, 1858.

To all wlzom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS GonnoN, of Trenton, county of Mercer, in the State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam Heating Apparatuses; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my improvement consists in certain peculiar constructions and mechanical arrangements of; the parts of a steam heating apparatus as hereinafter to be fully described.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my inventon, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein Figure 1 represents an end elevation; Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line w of Fig. 2; Fig. 4:, a vertical section on the line z z, of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a vertical section through the center of dome, D, (increased scale) Fig. 6, vertical section through the steam pipe, valve &c.-as seen at Figs. 3 and 4 increased scale, and Fig. 7, detail views of the air exhaust pipe I and caloric valve.

similar letters denoting the same parts in the different views B represents a steam boiler which may be made as deemed most expedient and placed over a suitable furnace (not shown in the drawings since no part of my invention lies therein)-though simply represented as being supported by a table or platform C.

Gr is the feed pipe and b, c, d, the pipes through which the stream generated in boiler is conveyed to the radiator A, as will be presently more minutely described; said radiator may have its surfaces corrugated as represented whereby a greater radiating surface may be embraced in the same space and be constructed of the form shown in the drawi-ngs, though it can be varied in construction to suit the builder. It is represented as being supported upon legs f, f, immediately adj acent to the boiler; but may be located any where desired and supplied with steam from said boiler by the required length of pipe.

D is theI steam dome provided with a safety valve M and connected above the boiler with the steam pipe section d by a pipe e; its peculiar construction and the objectof its connection with pipe d will be hereinafter described.

g is the steam exhaust pipe; h rod of safety valve.

I is the air exhaust pipe, seen at (Figs. 4 and 7 in which is arranged the caloric valve m upon a metallic rod o.

M is the safety valve, the rod or stem 71, of which passes up through a pipe E in the top i of dome D by which rod h the said valve may be lifted if necessary.

The mouth or opening at H of the boiler, into the dome D, is provided with an annular fiange y outside of and concentric with this flange is another flange z somewhat higher than the flange y and suflioiently distant from the latter to allow the fiange 02 of the valve M and the bottom edge of the cylinder a? (which proj ected clown from the top or corner z' of the dome D) to be accommodated between it and the said flange y leaving spaces between the flange 02 and fiange g/ flange 02 and bottom edge of cylinder (62 and between bot-tom edge of cylinder a2 and flange e to be filled with water to form a water oint (steam tight) for the valve M and covers cylinder az, similar water joints are formed where the pipe c sets into the pipes (l, 62, and where the pipe s sets into the pipes b and 0 and where the pipe Z of the valve P sets into the pipes s and a. It will be observed that at each of these water joints, or wherever one pipe descends into a case forward of two other pipes, that the inner portion of said case does not extend upward as far as the outer portion. The object of this peculiarity being, to allow the surplus water in each of said cases or water j oints to flow over; on the inside of the pipe and fall back into the boiler.

It will be observed that the pipe which connects the steam pipe with the dome D is located slightly below the inner portion of the first water joint in said steam pipe and a little above the outer portion of the water joint in the said dome; the object of so arranging said pipe e relatively with said steam pipe and dome is; that the surplus water from the water joints in the steam pipes may continually flow into the water joint in the steam dome and keep the latter constantly supplied. The necessity of thls,

or an equivalent means of keeping the water joint in the dome supplied is obvious, since the water in said joint would otherwise be soon entirely evaporated, and there being no condensation taking place in the steam dome itself the joint would become useless; but by this arrangement the joint in the dome is constantly supplied from the joints in the steam pipe which are kept overflowing by the rapid condensation of the steam' in the radiator.

The rod 0 upon the center (at the top) of Which is fastened the conical valve m is secured at each end to the bottom of tube I and is bowed' upward toward the center, as seen at F ig.'7, to such an extent as, that, it shall,

v when in its natural state allow the valve m to be open. When this rod is acted upon by the heat of the steam it naturally expands and being fastened at either end and curved or bowed its tendency is to increase its curvature, as it becomes longer or throw its central portion up higher, whereby the valve m is forced into its seat in the top side of pipe I, as seen at Fig. 4.

Having described the construction of my improved apparatus, I will now explain its operation and advantages. The boiler, B,

' being supplied withwater and the furnace put into operation steam is generated which passes up through the pipes, 02, into the pipe, c, through which it is conveyed to the radiator passing through the connections, s, and r, when the steam arrives at the radiator (entering near its bottom at one end) it ascends to the top and thence along toward Jthe opposite end as the volume increases the steam fills down in the radiator eXpelling or forcing the air out at the end of the radiator (near the bottom) opposite to that at which the steam enters; into the pipe I, thence out through the valve M, when the radiator has become quite full of steam, or the steam has arrived at the bottom of the radiator, by its action upon the rod, 0, eX- panding said rod by its heat, the valve m, is closed, whereby any escape of steam is prevented. The moment the steam begins to fill the radiator condensation commences and the water thus produced fills the several water joints, which have been before described; those in the steam pipe constantly overfiowing and through the medium of the pipe e, arranged as' before described, supplying the one water joint,) 'in the dome; which might otherwise become empty and consequently, useless, on account of the extreme heat to which it is exposed. The steam is admitted to, or eX- cluded from the radiator, at the pleasure, of the operator, by means of the valve P, with its water joint, as before describedoperated by the rod a.

The valve M, is intended to be so constructed as that it shall be raised by the steam so soon as the latter arrives at a pressure equal to oz. to the square inch; as soon as the said valve is elevated sutticiently to place the bottom of its fiange 02, above the surface of the water, in the water joint, the steam escapes, through the opening between said flange and the water, filling the dome and passing through the perforations clz, and thence out through the exhaust pipe g. The cover i, of the steam dome is not secured, to the latter, but simply rests by its own weight thereon; the object of this arrangement is, that in the event of the valve becoming inoperative, the said cover may be lifted by the pressure of the steam and the latter allowed to escape through the exhaust pipe g, thus insuring the water joints from being blown out, in consequence of any derangement of the valve.

The advantages of a steam heating apparatus as herein described, are its simplicity of construction and consequent economy. The perfectly steam tight joints which are formed by the water packing, and using no pressure it does not become necessary to have the boiler or other parts so heavily or substantially constructed.

Having fully described the construction and operation of my improved steam heating apparatus, what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The applications of water joints to the' safety valve and steam pipes substantially as herein set forth.

2. The construction of the throttle valve P, with an inverted cup Z, in a water joint, or case substantially as described for the purpose set forth.

8. Connecting the dome D, with the steam pipe, by a water supply pipe e, as and for the purposes specified.

43. Arranging at the bottom of the radiator a caloric valve substantially as described for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and aifixed my seal this seventeenth day of May 1858.

THOMAS GORDON. [L. s] vWitnesses:

I. W. DYER, WM. C. HoWnLL. 

